Poem by Henry Kendall

Early Poems (1859-70). The Old Year

It passed like the breath of the night-wind away,
It fled like a mist at the dawn of the day;
It lasted its moment, then backward was hurled,
Another increase to the age of the world.

It passed with its shadows, its smiles and its tears,
It passed as a stream to the ocean of years;
Years that were coming—were here—and are o'er,
The ages departed to visit no more.

It passed, but the bark on its billowy track
Leaves an impression on waters aback:
The glow of the gloaming remains on the sky,
Unwilling to leave us—unwilling to die.

It fled; but away and away in its wake
There lingers a something that time cannot break.
The past and the future are joined by a chain,
And memories live that must ever remain.

1. Early Poems (1859-70). James Lionel Michael
2. Early Poems (1859-70). Elijah
3. Early Poems (1859-70). Caroline Chisholm
4. Other Poems (1871-82). How the Melbourne Cup was Won
5. Other Poems (1871-82). John Bede Polding

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